00:00Hey Suns fans, let's talk about this statement win, finding a consistent
00:05role for him has been a challenge, but Dylan Brooks made his all-star case loud and clear on Thursday.
00:10He dropped a career-high 40 points to lead a depleted Phoenix Suns squad to a shocking
00:15114-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
00:20Honestly, at this point, maybe it's not so shocking anymore, that's just a testament to
00:25how this team continues to defy expectations without Devin Booker, right?
00:30ankle sprain, and Jalen Green, right hamstring strain, Phoenix took
00:35down the best team in the Eastern Conference, a Piston squad that also happened to be playing
00:39its best.
00:40Basketball of the season, after the Suns, 29-19, had two rough-off
00:45offensive performances while shorthanded.
00:47They exploded against a defense that had been the league's best since
00:50December, even ranking above Oklahoma City's it was all through Dylan Brooks, his 40-point
00:55performance on 13 of 22 shooting was loaded with 38 points in the first three quarters.
01:00And 29 of those came in the second and third periods.
01:03Overall, he had a great night.
01:05And we needed all of them, Suns head coach Jordan Ott said.
01:08It fittingly came on the night.
01:10Dylan the villain shirts were given away to fans, several of his teammates and even his
01:13coach wore them after the game.
01:15Brooks didn't believe the career night was because of the occasion.
01:18Every night I can go get 30
01:20or 40 if I want to, Brooks said.
01:23He agrees he's playing at an all-
01:25Yeah, I feel like I'm playing at that level, he stated.
01:30Ultimately, I'm not going to beg for it, but our real all-star is Book.
01:33He's been leading us the whole time.
01:35And he deserves to be in that all-star talk and being a reserve on that all-star team.
01:40His path to a nod is difficult, especially as an international player with the team US
01:45USA vs. Team World format rules.
01:47Locks for the seven Western Conference reserve spots.
01:50include mainstays like Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard, plus
01:55breakouts like Denny of Deja, Jamal Murray, and Alperin Sengun.
01:59That's six of six.
02:00Seven spots gone before even considering Booker James Harden or Chet Holmgren, regardless.
02:05His campaign speaks for itself, and this isn't just narrative-driven, his individual play
02:10has reached those heights, on top of his impact as a culture driver, the relentless physical-
02:15one-on-one downhill attack Brooks found on Thursday absorbed pressure, and let the offense
02:20hum elsewhere, Phoenix hit five threes in the first seven minutes after making only five
02:24to-
02:25total in Tuesday's win over Brooklyn.
02:26The defense also won the early rounds against a Pistons team that loved it.
02:30attacking the paint, the Suns put up 72 points in the first half, the most any team is-
02:35scored against Detroit 34-12 this season, taking a 16-point lead.
02:40Detroit responded with an 18-5 run out of halftime, but Phoenix weathered the storm largely-
02:45through Brooks, and a steadying defensive presence from its exceptional second unit, coach-
02:50Ott called two timeouts early in the third to find energy, then inserted Jordan Goodwin-
02:55and Oso Iguodaro, that second unit, which they've done all season, just took it to-
03:00another level, Ott said, when Detroit got within four with 5.45 left-
03:05in the third, Brooks scored all ten of Phoenix's remaining points in the quarter to push the
03:09lead back-
03:10to 12, with the defense locking in, what looked like a war turned into a manageable 40-
03:1542-40 second half rock fight in the Suns' favor, a flurry from the reserves ballooned-
03:20the lead to 15, with under four minutes left, Detroit's Isaiah Stewart drove for an-
03:25awkward layup that Brooks prominently swatted, Stewart, a known agitator, had been trying to-
03:30get under Brooks's skin, in both meetings this season, Brooks never snapped, after the game-
03:35ceiling block, he let Stewart know who got the last laugh, I just know them, and I got more
03:39techno-
03:40fowls than him, so I gotta keep them until the end of the year, Brooks said of Stewart's antics.
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03:45This game was a glowing example of winning within the margins, the Suns won second-
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04:0616 points, playing through pain after missing one game with a sprained right hand, he was
04:11targeting a full 82 game season. Coach Ott made sure to shout out a big
04:16time fourth quarter from Mark Williams, who struggled earlier against Detroit's marquee center,
04:21Williams was plus two in 25 minutes, while Iguodaro was a stellar plus under 19.
04:26In 20 minutes, Pistons all-star Cade Cunningham was held in check again, going eight
04:31for 22 for 26 points, with Jordan Goodwin being a menace on defense, however
04:36according to Cleaning the Glass, Detroit still shot 19 for 21 at the rim.
04:41Which continues to be a problem area for Phoenix, so Suns fans with Brooks playing at this
04:46elite level and the supporting cast stepping up in critical moments, how far can this team's
04:51resilience actually take them as we head toward the all-star break?
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